Child abuse and neglect are unfortunately not uncommon, even in homes providing foster care. If you want to report the abuse or neglect, you should contact Child Protective Services (CPS). You can find the number in your telephone book or online. If you are a mandated reporter, then you must fill out a required report soon after your phone call.

Steps

Part 1

Contacting Child Protective Services

1

Call emergency services if the child is endangered. If the child faces immediate harm, then you should call emergency services. In the United States, you should call 911.

Find your local Child Protective Services. For non-emergencies, you should call Child Protective Services (CPS). You can look in your phone book or search on the Internet. Type “child protective services” and then “your state or territory.” A website should pull up.

3

Get the hotline number. Many CPS offices run hotlines you can call to report the abuse. These numbers should be listed on their website.

If you can’t find any number listed, then check the Child Welfare website. It has website addresses and toll-free numbers for each state in the United States.[2]

4

Contact Childhelp instead. The Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline is a national hotline in the United States available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.[3] They can take your report of suspected abuse or neglect and then forward the information to the appropriate state agency.

The hotline number is 1-800-422-4453.

All calls to the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline are anonymous.

5

Decide if you want to report anonymously. CPS may give you the option of reporting anonymously. Even if you can’t report anonymously, the agency will probably keep your report confidential. However, your identity may be revealed if legal proceedings are started against the foster parent.

Accordingly, think how comfortable you would be testifying in court. If the state knows your identity, they will probably want you to testify. You should identify yourself if you have helpful documentation of the abuse or neglect and are not afraid of the abuser.

However, you might want to remain anonymous if you are afraid of the abuser or live with him or her.

6

Report the abuse. Once you find the appropriate number to call, you should gather the following information, as you will need to provide it to the appropriate authorities:[4]

the child’s name, age, and address

the names of the foster parents

any siblings in the home

a description of the situation

any injuries, medical problems, or behavioral issues

a short explanation of how you came to suspect child abuse or neglect

7

Don’t delay. Some people hesitate to report suspected child abuse because they think they might get in trouble if they are wrong. However, you should realize that state laws protect you so long as you report the suspected abuse in “good faith.”[5]

“Good faith” essentially means you didn’t knowingly file a false report. To protect yourself, sit down and write out what signs of child abuse you observed.

You may be a mandated reporter. Many countries have laws requiring certain professionals to report suspected abuse. For example, doctors, teachers, clergy, and social workers are often mandated reporters.[6][7] If you fail to report abuse as a mandated reporter, then you could be prosecuted. In Kansas, for example, failure to report is a Class B misdemeanor, which carries as a punishment a $1,000 fine or six months in jail.[8]

In at least 18 states, everyone is required by law to report suspected abuse.[9]

Part 2

Completing a Report as a Mandated Reporter

1

Gather sufficient information to make the report. Your job as a mandated reporter is not to perform an in-depth investigation. Instead, you need to gather the minimum amount of information necessary to trigger filing a report.[10] Generally, states require that you have facts sufficient to “cause you to suspect” abuse.

You can get this information by asking the child questions. For example, if a child comes to school dirty all the time and poorly dressed, you can ask, “Do your foster parents help get you dressed?” If the child says, “No, they aren’t around,” then you have reason to suspect neglect.

Extensive questioning can be counter-productive. For example, your questions could subtly alter the child’s recollection of facts. For this reason, gather only as much evidence as necessary.

2

Call CPS first. You need to make an oral report first. After making the oral report, you can then fill out any necessary forms. You generally must file the report within a certain amount of time, e.g., 48 hours of making an oral report.[11]

3

Find the appropriate form. Your state should publish a form for mandated reporters to use. You should get the form by talking to your supervisor. Alternately, you can look for the form online.

If you still can’t find the form, then contact CPS. They should have the form for you to fill out.

4

Gather necessary information. Each state’s form will be different. However, you generally will need to provide the following information, so you should gather it ahead of time before sitting down to fill out the report:[12][13]

information about the child, including name, address, date of birth, sex, ethnicity, disability, and languages spoken

your contact information, as well as information about your relationship to the child

the extent and nature of the injury or neglect

information about any incident you observed, including the date, time, and location of the incident

any other related concerns, such as domestic violence, gang involvement, or substance abuse

what actions you have taken to treat or shelter the child

any concerns for a social worker’s safety

5

Submit the form. The form should tell you where to mail or fax it. Be sure to send it to the correct address. Also keep a copy for your own records.

Part 3

Identifying Child Abuse or Neglect

1

Identify physical signs of physical neglect. Foster parents may leave children unattended, which is neglect. Be on the lookout for the following, which are indicators of physical neglect:[14]

medical needs are not being attended to

the child is regularly unsupervised

the child is routinely hungry, emaciated, or suffers from significant weight change

the child is inappropriately dressed

the child’s hygiene is poor

2

Identify behavioral indicators of physical neglect. Sometimes children will manifest signs of neglect in their behavior. Although the child will look in perfect physical health, his or her behavior may signal a deeper problem. Look for the following:[15]

the child regularly falls asleep in class or is otherwise tired

the child begs from classmates

the child steals or hoards food

the child tells you that no foster parent is home

3

Recognize physical indicators of physical abuse. Pay attention to the following physical indicators, as they can be signs that foster parents have physically abused the child. If you notice any of these signs, then write down information, such as the location on the child’s body:[16]

bruises, welts, or loop marks

bruises behind the ears

any bite mark made by an adult

missing clumps of hair

unexplained burns

unexplained punctures, cuts, or abrasions

chipped teeth and swollen lips

parallel marks on cheeks or around the forehead

puncture wounds

4

Recognize behavioral indicators of physical abuse. Sometimes, physical abuse manifests itself in behavioral problems. Although you might not see bruising or cuts, the child acts in a way that raises your concern. Look for the following behaviors:[17]

the child exhibits behavior extremes, such as being aggressive or overly withdrawn

the child comes to school late or stays late as if afraid of going home

the child complains of being sore

the child moves uncomfortably, as if suffering from a physical injury

the child shows lack of impulse control, such as inappropriate outbursts

5

Identify signs of emotional abuse. Foster parents can also emotionally abuse a child. Emotional abuse can take many forms, such as using abusive language or name calling, withholding emotional support, or isolating the child from friends. Look for the following symptoms of emotional abuse:[18]

the child is overly-affectionate toward strangers

the child lacks confidence or appears anxious

the foster parent and child do not appear to have a close relationship

the child is overly aggressive or nasty toward other children or toward animals

the child has extreme outbursts and cannot control strong emotions

6

Identify signs of sexual abuse. Children may also be sexually abused. Sexual abuse has its own unique signs. Look for the following:[19]